Stampin' Sisters Team Meeting

 If you have been following my blog long you know that I have a big garden and I spend a LOT of time every Summer pulling weeds.  This is actually a chore I enjoy doing.  I know it will be worth it when the harvest comes.  Well, it's here!  I had been taking the little bucket out with me every morning the last couple of weeks and it was big enough.  Well, not anymore!  I'm getting lots of good produce now and we are enjoying fresh veggies for supper every night.   

You might not like my second picture as much.  I went to pick raspberries the other morning and found this long friend in the garden.  I think he was cold, he sure is kinked up!  By the time I finished picking he was gone.  He was just a chicken snake, I used to play with them all the time when I was a kid.

On to Stampin' Up stuff:  Saturday I went to my Stampin' Sisters team meeting in Nashville.  Stampin' Sisters is the name that my upline, Julie Salva chose for her Stampin up crew.  If you know Julie, you know that her meetings are wonderful and fun.  If you don't know her, look on the back of the new catalog.  Or on page 8 or 9!  She had no idea until she got the catalog that hers would be the picture chosen or that they were going to put 3 different pictures of her in it!  What a fun surprise for her. 

Anyway, after a short business meeting we were able to do 5 projects as well as a swap. Now I have lots more to share with you! We made 3 cards a little box and a stocking. We used products from the upcoming Holiday Mini catalog so you can have a little sneak peek at some of the new goodies you will be able to order soon for the upcoming holidays.
 Some of the products in the new Holiday Mini Catalog are Halloween goodies.  This stamp set is called Out On A Limb.  There is a limb in the set too, as well as a cat, owl, bats and jack-o-lanterns complete with mustaches. 

You won't be able to tell from the picture, but we used a new product called Dazzling Details on the cloud, moon and broom straw.  It is like Dazzling Diamonds mixed in Crystal Effects.  Quick and easy with no mess!  I hope we get other colors soon but I plan to experiment with reinkers and make my own colors in the mean time.

Next is a nice Fall card using a great new leaf 2-step stamp.  I love this set, it has 4 different leaves, all with outlines and fill stamps as well as an acorn and maple seed stamps.  12 great Fall stamps in all.  Actually, you could use green for the fill stamp and do Spring and Summer themes with them. 

And how do you like that paper?  It is called Spice Cake and I am so thrilled with it.  It has great designs and colors, you will see a lot more of it in the coming months.

Another great Fall project we did is the little Thanksgiving Matchbox filled with Hershey nuggets.  The turkey stamp is from a set called Gift Givers, a stamp set that coordinates with punches to make it so easy to create with them.  This set has the cutest reindeer stamp in the history of the world!  Well, you might disagree but you would have to agree that he is adorable. 

 The last 2 projects are Christmas ones.  We have a new Holiday Stocking Die that we used for the stocking box.  The front piece uses the Petals A Plenty Embossing folder to give the stocking extra texture and the top, toe and heel are cut from DSP called Holly Berry Bouquet. 

And last, a product I'm really excited about, the Stocking Builder punch and Stitched Stockings stamp set.  Aren't they wonderful!  As we get more and more busy with the approach of the holidays it is great to have products that will make creating fun holiday projects so quick and easy.  Did you notice the red and white baker's twine across the top of the stocking card?  It is still going to be available after the Summer Mini Catalog goes away at the end of August.  I'm so glad because it is great for creating Christmas projects!  did you notice the extra shimmery Glimmer Paper on these little stockings?  Now we have red and silver Glimmer Paper.  Isn't it perfect for jazzing up holiday projects?  And it takes so little of it for these little stockings!  You NEED a Holiday Mini catalog, let me know if you don't have one and I'll get one to you!

I reckon I should offer a Seasons Greetings to everyone!